Zwetschgen

Zwetschgen are the German version of elongated purple plums similar to the varieties that are sometimes seen in US markets called Stanley or Italian plums. These sorts of plums can be eaten as is or stewed with wine. I suspect these are the types of plums that are dried to make prunes. But in Germany, they are especially loved for baking and jam making.

Zwetschgen are smaller and ripen in mid to late October after that other varieties of similar plums. Also they have a distinct flavor that define certain German dishes. Still, Zwetchen because of their smaller size, late harvest and tall trees have fallen out of favor with growers who prefer to produce the larger, earlier, and easier to harvest varieties of purple plums.

We we fortunate enough to receive a bucket of the real thing from one of Magda's relatives. We used them to make the Zwetschenküchen and a batch of Pflaumenmuss.

Zwetschenküchen ( see the second photograph) is a baked pastry made by lining up rows of de-pitted plums that have been laid open over a sweet yeast dough. Some people will sprinkle sugar or Streussel (a mixture of sugar, flour and butter that forms a crumble that can be sprinkled). But we consider that a bit much. We prefer "au naturel".

Pflaumenmuss is sort of like apple butter made with plums. Like apple butter, it can be used like a jam. The ingredients are simple:

• 4 to 1 mix by weight of de-pitted plums and sugar (see the first photo)
  
• heat
• patience

The mixture is allowed to set for 24 hours before cooking. Some say even longer is better. Then the mixture is brought to a boil while constantly stirring. The mixture is allowed to reduce to about two thirds the original volume (or until the desired thickness is reached). This can take awhile, but the result is worth it.